Brotherhood
by SoulSayArcher
Summary: Rewritten! When Yuna, Rikku and Paine mysteriously disappear, it's down to some old friends to use the dresspheres to rescue the girls. Slash & Het pairings! Wakka/Tidus, Gippal/Baralai, Rikku/OC. Weekly updates! Rated M for MANLY!
1. Final Flantasy

_Hey there. Soul here, used to be WakkaxTidus a long time ago, when I first wrote this fic. I've come an awful long way in these three years, and I finally feel like I've come full circle, in a place where I can begin to write fanfiction again. It's been a long time, but I'll manage. My writing style's quite different, too... no lemon this time around._

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><p><em>Anyways. If you read this fic before, great! Hope you enjoy the improved version. If you've never seen it before, then welcome! Hope you like the story and please leave reviews! :)<em>

**Brotherhood**

A **Final Fantasy X/X-2** fanfic by **SoulSayArcher**

**Chapter One**

**Final Flan-tasy**

The cool summer breeze gently flowed through the short brown hair of a young woman, the hard journeys she'd endured leaving a distinctive look upon her face. Not just a look, no – something was completely different about this particular woman. In just two years she'd made the full transformation from shy wallflower to feisty adventurer, something most people can't admit to doing themselves. After confronting the foundation for the beliefs of Spira, and then two years later having to battle the ghosts of a painful past, she began to live on the thrill of the fight, the hunt, the adrenaline of it all. And now, with nowhere to save and no evil to stop from destroying the world, Yuna was finally free.

She looked to her left, chuckling to herself as she spotted her Al Bhed cousin sprawled out on the deck, doing her best to keep her tan. Not that she needed to, of course, because all Al Bhed had darker skin. With the exception of Yuna, but then again she was only Al Bhed on her mother's side. Rikku looked up, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun to smile at her paler cousin.

Yuna smiled back, then turning to her right. Paine sat in the shade, reading a book as she sat at the top of the staircase leading to the elevator. Yuna sighed softly, remembering a time not too long ago when she and Paine didn't really know each other too well. Paine wasn't one for socializing, see, so it took a while for the silver-haired girl to open up to her teammates. Well, she practically had to with Rikku asking her question upon question about her past while on missions. Yuna always listened in of course, interested to hear about their friend.

Yuna was just about to sit down next to Rikku when a flash of purple shook the ship and blinded her for a moment, knocking her backwards. Her head was spinning as she scrambled to her knees. Yuna's vision slowly returned, a dark figure coming into view. A slender, feminine body approached Yuna, and she was too dazed to even get a good look at the attacker's face. All she did see was a red jewel-like object on the woman's chest as she punched Yuna square in the face, knocking her out cold. Rikku and Paine had the same treatment, and after mere seconds the trio were unconscious, dragged to the edge of the deck by a few dark figures.

Meanwhile, back in Besaid, Tidus followed Wakka back towards Lulu's house after practising Blitzball in the lake all afternoon. He wiped some of his wet, blonde hair from his crystal blue eyes, walking through the village with his shirt off. He carried it with him, soaking wet from when Wakka pushed him into the water from a high ledge. Tidus tutted. He didn't know why he still fell for that old trick two and a half years later.

"Hey, hurry up, ya?" called a familiar voice, "Lulu made flan for all of us."

"Flan?" Tidus cringed, "You mean... you eat those nasty blob things?"

Wakka emerged from the hut, walking over and patting Tidus on the back so hard he was almost knocked over. "Yeah, 'course we do! You just cut off their faces and they're actually kinda nice. You gotta try it, ya?"

The blonde shook his head slowly, "I think I'll pass..."

Wakka nudged him in the side as Lulu called them both in. "No, I mean you **gotta**. She's still all hormonal from having the baby. If you don't compliment her cooking, she'll flip out. You don't wanna be cooked more than the flan, ya?"

Tidus sighed, dropping his head and marching into Lulu's hut.

Meanwhile, at Djose Temple, Gippal looked out to the mountainous land formations where a small red object could be seen touching down to the ground. He smiled, bringing up a golden spyglass to his left eye. Using one of these contraptions was easy for Gippal of course, only having one eye functioning and all. Thinking about his impaired sight caused him to relive the events of the Den of Woe and the shot Nooj managed to score on him.

Up until half a year ago, he'd wanted revenge on Nooj. He wanted to inflict the pain he felt every day on the older man... up until he found out what really happened. Possessed by a ghost from an age long gone, Nooj had no control over his actions, and the scars Gippal, Baralai and Paine wore were no exception. Gippal was surprisingly forgiving, actually, making amends with Nooj and the two were now comrades until the end. Heck, even Baralai and Nooj had managed to patch things up and stop the feud between New Yevon and the Youth League.

Gippal felt a dull ache in his covered eye and pulled the spyglass down with a yawn. It was summer, and the amplified heat in the rocky areas of Spira only made things worse. On a day like this with the heat beating down upon them, Gippal couldn't ask his engineers to work out on the machina, so everybody pretty much had the day off.

"Ah, the Celsius," he laughed, "Cid's girl just couldn't resist me, right? All that 'perfect couple' stuff really got into her, it seems!"

At that moment a silver-haired man emerged from the temple's entrance, walking out to stand level with Gippal. He had his arms folded in a calm fashion, something befitting of a religious leader. Smiling, the tan male put his hand on the blonde's shoulder, rubbing it softly.

"Rikku? Surely, you're not dismissing me that quickly. I put up quite a fight, you know..."

Gippal turned to Baralai and smirked, kissing him quickly. "I'm only kidding, Lai."

They waited there for around fifteen minutes while Brother and Shinra made the walk down from where they'd landed the ship to the entrance of the temple. Eventually, the two figures made their way through the pretty empty walkway and approached Baralai and Gippal.

"No girls today?" asked Gippal, "I won't lie, I'm a little disappointed. They haven't stopped by in a while, y'know."

Baralai nodded in agreement, "It's been some time since I've seen them, too. They caused quite the stir in Bevelle recently, but I guess they didn't have time to stop by."

Brother stood there silently, flatly refusing to acknowledge Baralai. Even though Baralai himself had inflicted no harm on the Al Bhed, Yevon had victimised their race for years, and the destruction of Home didn't exactly mend things. However, Baralai was discovered to have been hiding out in Guadosalam during Yuna's pilgrimmage, meaning he could have known about the coming destruction of Home. He was even pissed off at Gippal, who had not only chosen to forgive this man, but even go to bed with him and call it love. Brother considered spitting at them, then shook it off. He was always being told by Paine and Rikku to be more level-headed and think before he spoke, and suddenly the realization that his sister could be in serious danger really hit it home for the pilot.

Shinra looked up at Brother's expression, clearly thinking hard about something. _Hmph, that's rare,_ he thought, _Then again, brain activity in general doesn't come easily to Brother. Why is it we let him fly the ship again?_

Gippal stepped forward, almost shielding Baralai from Brother's steel gaze. He took a look at Shinra and nodded respectfully. Even if he was 'just a kid' as Shinra called himself, the boy was a complete genius and had helped Gippal's operations run smoothly for some time now. He then spoke, the slight awkwardness in the situation coming out in his voice.

"So...," the blonde said quietly, "What brings you here? It's not like you to show up here at all Brother, and to bring Shinra with you? You two bicker like bitter old enemies."

Brother opened his mouth for the first time since landing the Celsius. "Rikku... is not here."

Baralai nodded, "Yes... not to be rude, but we can see that."

Shinra waved it off. "No... I apologize for Brother's bad translation. He's still learning to speak your language. Rikku and the others, they're missing."

"Missing?" spluttered Gippal and Baralai in unison. Gippal continued, "How? What happened?"

"Something hit the side of our ship and knocked out the systems for a few minutes. We lost communication with the girls, and by the time we restored power to the elevator and checked the deck, they'd vanished."

Baralai looked down pensively, "Is there any chance they just fell when whatever it was hit the side of the ship?"

"No," said Brother stiffly, "We were... flying very low over Besaid's shore."

Shinra added, "We were only a few dozen feet off the top of the trees, I expect. A fall like that wouldn't have damaged their headsets. Even then, they would have made their way to Besaid Village and contacted us by now. I think whatever hit our ship took them with it."

Gippal nodded, "That would make sense. But... why us? What can we do to help?"

Shinra answered immediately, "Search for them. We'd do it ourselves, but neither Brother, Buddy or I have experience in exploring or combat. I know from watching the spheres the girls collected that you two were candidates for the Crimson Squad, which means you had to be some pretty good fighters."

Brother looked up at the pair, "...Please."

A voice crackled through Shinra's headset. "I just got word back from Besaid. Apparently they haven't heard from the girls, but they want us to go there. Lulu's very protective of Yuna, you know."

Shinra smiled, "Tell them we're on our way."

Lulu slowly strutted back into the hut where Tidus and Wakka sat waiting, the baby Vidina asleep in a small cot-like bed Lulu had fashioned for him. The black mage approached the two blitzball players, dropping her head slightly as she gave them the news.

"It was Buddy, from the airship. He said that Yuna went missing, along with Rikku and Paine all of a sudden. They have no idea where they could have gone, so that boy, Shinra, wants you two to go and help look for them."

Wakka shook his head, "I know I should go, Lu. But I can't go waltzing about Spira fighting monsters and journeying all about the place with Vidina back here. It's not right, ya?"

Tidus looked over to Wakka with a little admiration. Not just admiration, no, as he'd been having all those other feelings for the redhead for some time. But what he felt right now was awe at the father's dedication to raising his son, something he knew nothing about from experience. Even if his father did mean well, it still left Tidus with a gaping hole in his heart where a father's attention should fit.

"Wakka..." Lulu spoke softly. "Wakka, that's not the point. I know you want to be there for him, but right now Yuna needs you a whole lot more. If you won't go... I will. I have to do something, and Vidina doesn't need us both here at all hours-"

"No," spoke the blonde, standing up from his seat. "Lulu, that's ridiculous. You only gave birth a few months ago!" He turned to Wakka, clapping him around the head. "You have to come! What about Rikku, too? All the abuse you gave her and she still forgave you when you came around and saw sense about the Al Bhed. Is this how you want to repay her?"

"Tidus... you don't need to be so harsh on him," Lulu started, but Wakka stood up quickly.

"No... he's right, actually. Look after him, Lu, and look after yourself."

Lulu and Tidus both laughed, the black mage looking at Wakka, amused. "Honestly, Wakka... I don't think I'm the one who needs to be careful. Whatever happened to those girls is obviously very dangerous... I know them and they're fighters, they wouldn't go down easily."

"Hey, everybody-" smiled Baralai, peering in from around the corner of the hut. Gippal followed, but then suddenly everything became a blur.

"Shuyiiin!" he cried out, pulling his massive gun up to face Tidus, almost ready to fire at the other blonde when Lulu stopped him with a Water spell, knocking him off his feet.

"You crazy? There's a baby here. No pointing guns, ya?" Wakka scolded, "And this ain't Shuyin. Gippal, meet Tidus."

"Tidus?" Gippal gasped, "You're the guy Yuna was looking for, right? So she did find you in the end."

"Don't say 'in the end'. It makes it sound like you're not gonna find them," Shinra said, shouting to them from outside near the village entrance.

Tidus nodded, "I guess our ride's here, huh?"

Lulu followed the four men and Shinra out to the beach, waving them goodbye as they boarded the Celsius and took off, the roaring engines sending large ripples through the seawater as it ascended into the clouds.

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><p><em>Kind of a messy first chapter, I know. But with the plot changes I've made already to the original, I had to rework the whole damn thing. It's also, like, three times longer, too. Yes, no Tidus confessing his love to Wakka in the opening scene. Sorry, guys! Anyways, expect Chapter Two very soon, and don't forget to review!<em>

_~Soul_


	2. The Dress Up Box

_Okay, so I've actually only just started writing this immediately after finishing the first chapter. I had to separate them though, or the first chapter would just drag on and on. So, anyways, here's chapter two and I hope you enjoy the introduction of... Dresspheres!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

**The Dress-Up Box**

Some time after they'd taken off from Besaid, the four men were relaxing in the bridge when Shinra entered carrying an ornate chest almost the size of himself. Baralai got up to help him carry it, and they set the large chest down in the middle of where they had all been seated.

"Now, I know a bit about the way all of you have fought in the past," Shinra started, "But in the last year the girls managed to master a new way to fight."

"What do you mean?" Gippal arched a brow, sitting upright in his seat all of a sudden. "A... new way?"

The boy genius nodded, "Sometimes, having a group of people who all use physical attacks isn't going to help defeat a monster like a flan."

Tidus suddenly had a flashback of Lulu's flan surprise. _Eww, _he shivered.

"In combat, changing jobs through spheres can decide whether you win or lose. These dresspheres were essential to Yuna, Rikku and Paine before they went missing, so you four might be able to make some use of them."

Baralai and Gippal had seen these dresspheres in use and cringed. "Wait, we have to wear those skimpy girl outfits?" asked the Al Bhed.

Shinra laughed alone, and suddenly Tidus and Wakka were wondering the same. Wakka definitely didn't look forward to wearing skirts and bikinis.

"No, of course not. Before you actually use the essence inside the dressphere, it conforms to you as an individual. For example, if Yuna wore the Songstress dressphere, she'd have a different outfit from it than Rikku would."

"So we can use the dresspheres just like they would, with outfits for men?" Tidus asked.

"Precisely. The girls had a few on them when they went missing, though. I've only got a few left. Warrior, Lady Luck, Trainer, Gunner and Songstress. You each get a Garment Grid that lets you use the dresspheres, too."

Shinra tossed them all small board-type objects, specifically made for dresspheres to be set into. "All you need to do is call the name of the dressphere you want to use, and Braska's your uncle."

Wakka set the Warrior dressphere into his grid, standing up and speaking clearly. "Warrior!" he called out, and a bright light enveloped him.

When the light faded, Wakka was wearing a completely new costume. Dark red Leather armor covered his normally bare chest, and he wielded a large silver sword instead of the Blitzballs he always used to attack when they went on Yuna's pilgrimage two years previously.

"Looking good, Wakka," Tidus smiled. He couldn't help but admire the outfit's design, thin but durable material showing off Wakka's athletic build. "In fact, I'd say you were even bordering on looking great."

A small awkward silence ensued, until Gippal thought he'd try out Lady Luck. Where the dressphere had revealed a mix between ball gowns and private dancers for the girls, Gippal's had a rather different outcome. The light surrounding him faded, and Gippal stood there in a green, glittery suit-like piece. No shirt, though, just trousers and a green waiscoat that stretched over his tan shoulders. Glittery cuffs attached to his wrists so he could store his playing cards on them.

"I'll take Gunner then, I guess," Tidus smiled, setting the glistening sphere into his grid and transforming into the Gunner. Two small pistols in his hands and a pair of black shorts went well with the black and yellow jacket he wore. Tossing his pistols in the air and catching them with ease, Tidus was quick to remark, "I could get used to these."

Everyone looked to Baralai, simply to see which of the two remaining dresspheres he'd take. "I don't know..." he said softly, "I've never really been much of a performer though, so I'll use the Trainer dressphere."

Baralai cautiously set the sphere in and called out it's name, emerging from the engulfing light robes similar to those he wore normally. These were reinforced however, necessary for the creature he was to command. Ghiki the monkey, pet to Rikku also when she was a Trainer, appeared from the light as well. He jumped up, perching himself on Baralai's head as he eyed up the others there.

Gippal gave a distressed look towards Baralai, and the tanned male returned a rather puzzled expression.

"What's wrong, Gippal?" he asked uncertainly.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing... I just have a little... uh, fear. Of monkeys. Especially big ones."

Baralai laughed, letting Ghiki come down onto his arm. "This little thing? He's no harm to anyone. Unless you get on my bad side, of course."

"I'll put the Songstress as a back-up on your grids then," Shinra suggested, fitting the last sphere into each of their grids. Only one sphere was needed for all of them to use it, its energy escaping the orb and filling the grid with the job's abilities.

"So... what now?" Baralai asked, realizing that they were all suited up but still didn't know where to start looking yet.

"As soon as Buddy picks up any energy from the girls' dresspheres, we'll let you know. Until then... go and get some sleep. It's late already, and you should be well rested. If you ride the elevator up to the cabins, Barkeep will show you to your rooms."

The four nodded and changed back into their usual outfits, then leaving the bridge and heading up to the cabins. They could use a decent night's sleep, before the inevitable hiking around caves and mountains began as soon as Buddy traced the girls to a location.

A small drop of water trickled down Yuna's face and the former summoner sat up, noticing that she couldn't move her hands, her wrists tied behind her back with some pretty strong rope. She was still dazed, probably half from the beating she took back on the ship. Yuna whimpered a little, dry blood still marking her face. She looked around the large stone chamber she found herself in and noticed Rikku and Paine tied up against a pillar on the other side of the room.

Yuna tried to stand, only managing to after a while. She didn't have the use of her hands, after all. Surprisingly whoever tied her up neglected to tie her ankles, so she was free to walk around. Seeing no obvious way out, Yuna had no option but to try to wake the others.

Rikku and Paine were both tied to the same pillar, so between the two of them it didn't take long to break out of the loosely-tied ropes. Rikku hurried to Yuna, untying her hands quickly.

"We weren't tied together very well," Paine commented, "Maybe whoever did this was in a rush... or just plain careless."

"Perhaps they expected us to escape anyway..." Yuna began to speculate. She felt at her waist for her empty gun holsters, sighing as she realized her weapons were missing.

"Our dresspheres are gone too, it seems," Paine said bluntly, "I'm sure this wasn't just about stealing them from us. They could have done that and left us on the ship."

"No need to worry about weapons!" Rikku called. She was crouched down behind a fallen pillar, pulling out their weapons from underneath. "Sloppy work, dontcha think?"

Paine nodded, taking her sword from Rikku. "Very. Why would they let us escape? Maybe there's a trap."

The girls collected themselves before heading over to the north wall where Rikku had noticed a gap in the wall, partially covered by a statue. Yuna noted that the Al Bhed's treasure hunting skills were particularly refined recently, something that came in very handy during explorations. The trio headed over to it, using their combined strength to shift the statue before heading off down the dark passage, weapons drawn.

Upon entering the upper area of the ship, the four men were greeted by a Hypello, Barkeep.

"Hello, greetingsh to you! You can call me Barkeep, ebullibody elsh doesh!" he said, talking very slowly and carefully, as if putting a lot of effort into speaking their language.

Tidus groaned, remembering two years ago when they crossed the Moonflow. Before they actually boarded the 'ze Shoopuf', they had to spend about an hour talking to the driver. The conversation, of course, would only have taken a fraction of the time, but with a Hypello, a simple chat can take forever.

_For people who can't talk properly, they're pretty sociable,_ Tidus mused.

"Shinsh ze Gullwingsh shtarted to bring in more money, we were able to upgrade our fashilities, meaning we now have complete bedrooms for vishitorsh."

Gippal nudged Baralai, whispering into his ear. "Are you getting this? I can't understand a word he's saying."

"Don't be like that," Baralai said calmly, trying to listen to what Barkeep was telling them.

"We only have a limited shupply of roomsh available, however," the blue creature continued. "You will have to double up."

Gippal and Baralai seemed a little overjoyed with this, heading straight for one of the rooms Barkeep pointed out. Wakka laughed, "I guess it's me and you, ya? Just like old times, at Rin's Travel Agency."

Tidus smiled and nodded. _Damn,_ he thought, _How the heck am I supposed to manage sharing a room with him yet again? Sleeping next to him, seeing him half-naked..._

Tidus expected this to happen, however, as soon as Barkeep told them they had to pair up. Gippal and Baralai were clearly together, after all, and they sure as hell liked to remind people of it. The Blitzball player sighed, thanking Barkeep as he walked past on his way into the room.

As soon as they entered, Wakka commented on how warm it was and began to undress. Noticing the odd look Tidus was giving him, he suddenly got very defensive. After all, people were always commenting that he liked to show off his body and he'd gotten a little bit of a complex about it.

"What?" the redhead asked quickly, "It's hot, ya? And it's night-time. I wanna get some sleep in before we go running off again."

Tidus laughed it off. "Cool it! I didn't say anything..."

He then proceeded to undress himself before getting into the large, double bed the room contained. Wakka did the same moments later and Tidus, praying he wouldn't do anything stupid or embarrassing in his sleep, turned off the lamp.

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><p><em>I tried to give them all distinct personalities, which is why Gippal randomly has a fear of monkeys! Haha. So, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll have another up by next week. I'd have it up earlier, but I'm rewriting another old fic of mine too, Luca High. Don't forget to review!<em>

_~Soul_


	3. Monkey See, Monkey Gouge!

_Okay, so I planned to upload this Wednesday evening when I finished it but my internet cut out! D: Bad times. Anyway, it's back now so enjoy chapter three! And yes, expect more puns as chapter names!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

**Monkey See, Monkey Gouge!**

Tidus awoke with a start, sitting bold upright in the bed, the sheets strewn about the empty room. He thought he must have been rolling about in the night before he suddenly remembered that he hadn't been alone. Wakka had been there in the bed... perhaps it was him who'd created the mess?

Tidus then became aware of the alarm that was sounding, a dull red light flashing on and off to call everyone to the bridge.

"Maybe they found something," Tidus wondered aloud, getting out of the bed and pulling on some clothes. Quickly slipping on his boots he headed out of the cabin and towards the elevator. He spotted Baralai waiting at the doors, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hey," he smiled when he saw Tidus, "I missed the elevator when Gippal got in. I was running to catch it and it went without me!"

Tidus nodded, "Probably only waits a couple of seconds before it goes down again. Brother's really impatient, he probably couldn't stand waiting any longer than that."

Baralai thought for a moment, then asked, "So you know him well? I didn't think you two would have met when you came to Spira before, and you've only been back now for a couple of months."

Tidus laughed, "Well, when I woke up in some abandoned temple, it was Rikku and Brother who ended up finding me on some salvage mission. Lucky for me, Rikku spoke English. Let's just say that Brother's miming wasn't exactly great."

Baralai nodded, "Neither's his speech."

The elevator doors slid open and the two fair-haired men stepped inside. Only seconds after Tidus stepped in the doors slammed shut and the lift began its descent to the bridge.

"Think they found something?" asked Tidus excitedly, answered by Baralai with a simple shrug.

Upon entering the bridge, Tidus and Baralai passed Brother, who was rushing towards the elevator himself. Not knowing (or really caring, for that matter) where he was going, Tidus approached Wakka, who was waiting near Buddy's station with his arms folded.

"Wow, you got up early, then!" he smirked, punching the redhead lightly on the shoulder.

"Has anyone ever told you that you snore really loud?" Wakka asked, grinning, "I had no choice but to get up, ya?"

Tidus' face went a bright shade of red, and then brother returned to the bridge as Buddy prepared his briefing. Gippal and Baralai followed, and with everyone gathered around him and Shinra, Buddy began to explain.

"We've traced energy from one of the girls' dresspheres to Baaj Temple."

Tidus groaned, and Wakka laughed loudly, remembering when the group visited the ruins towards the end of Yuna's pilgrimage, seeking the help of the Aeon Anima before entering Sin itself. Before even reaching the inside of the temple, Tidus, Wakka and Rikku had to face the frightening Geosgaeno. Wakka then shuddered as he remembered being swallowed by the creature, and he could almost feel the fiend's ribs against his skin.

Buddy arched a brow at both the former Guardians' behaviour before continuing, "We don't know if they're there now, or even if they were there after disappearing. All we know is one of their dresspheres is down there, so it's up to you guys to go and investigate."

Shinra walked over to the group, "I've prepared your bags with some items as a precation. You got some Potions, some Ethers and some Remedies in there for if you run into trouble. Got it?"

Gippal was a little dumbfounded at all the information he was being given, only being able to respond with a quick nod, "Uh-huh..."

Baralai laughed a little, "Don't worry. I have your back."

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><p>About an hour later, the Celsius had landed at Baaj. It had taken a long time for Buddy and Brother to land it properly, as most of the land here was sumberged. They landed on top of the temple in the end, having to take off again as soon as Tidus, Wakka, Baralai and Gippal disembarked so that they didn't fall from the crumbling rocks.<p>

Looking around the ancient ruins, Gippal sighed. "Wow, they really used to take the machina ban seriously, huh? They coulda stopped this place from sinking, easy. All it needed was some machina support..."

Wakka nodded, and Tidus looked up to him quickly. He could tell that Wakka's attitude to the Al Bhed had changed a lot over the past few years, mainly through the events of Yuna's pilgrimage. Rikku and he had remained close, it seemed, and it was just as much about finding her for Wakka as finding Yuna.

Tidus didn't really know much about Paine, but he assumed she knew Baralai and Gippal somehow, because they had to have some reason for coming along. Not that rescuing strangers would be a bad thing, no... Tidus just wondered why else Shinra would recruit these two in particular.

When they walked along the stone structures towards the large buildings that made up Baaj Temple, Baralai began to realize that there was no way in from above the water. "Do we have to dive down to get inside?" he asked, not being the best of swimmers. He looked down to Ghiki at his side, the monkey looking up at him curiously.

"Yeah, why?" Gippal asked, tilting his head slightly. "Oh, right... the monkey. Can it swim?"

Baralai shook his head, "I don't think so. It's a spirit, anyway. I can dismiss it here and summon it when we get back out of the water."

Tidus was peering over into the depths when Wakka walked behind him and casually pushed him in, shrugging when Baralai and Gippal's jaws dropped simultaneously. "Don't, worry, ya? He's used to it."

Gippal nodded, diving into the water after the other blonde. Wakka followed, and Baralai dismissed Ghiki before jumping in himself. He could see quite easily under the water, something he was surprised about. He expected the water here to be quite dirty and stagnant, so it must have had some connection with the rest of the ocean to be this fresh. Descending further to the bottom of the pool, Baralai spotted Tidus and Wakka entering a small opening in the temple's wall. Gippal was close behind them, so Baralai swam down, holding his breath the best he could until they got through to the other side.

When Wakka reached the surface, he breathed in sharply. Maybe he really was getting fat like Rikku said; he'd never had any trouble holding his breath for that long before. He pulled himself up onto solid ground, waiting for everyone else to surface. Tidus came first, followed by Gippal holding a coughing and spluttering Baralai.

"He got caught on a rock," Gippal chuckled, heaving Baralai up onto the stone floor. "Don't worry, Lai, we can't all be good swimmers."

Baralai glared at him before waving his hand to summon Ghiki again. The monkey came running gleefully, climbing up onto his shoulders. It squeaked a little, and Baralai reached up to pet it softly.

"So... if we're all done here, let's head in!" Tidus exlclaimed, pulling his two pistols from thier holsters and walking up the broken passage to the temple's main hall.

Inside, they found that in two years, nothing had changed. The same broken statues lined the walls, and the same cracks in the roof allowed water to pour through relentlessly. Tidus looked around, not knowing where to look.

"So, how do we find this sphere?" he asked, puzzled. The other three looked around too, but they didn't seem to know any better.

Suddenly, a voice called out, and all four men looked to each other, only to find out it didn't come from any of them. Wakka drew his sword, and they waited for whoever or whatever made the sound to emerge.

Baralai turned around as Gippal fell to his knees, knocked unconscious by a dark figure. He stepped back quickly as a high kick came from the figure, revealing itself as it came forth from the shadows.

The woman stepped over Gippal's unconscious body, growling deeply at the three standing men. A visible dark aura pulsated from her, and she threw her arms up, howling. It was an all-too-familiar sight for everyone, the young Al Bhed in her Beserker dressphere.

"...Rikku? What are you doing?" Wakka exclaimed, drawing his sword and pointing it at her. "I don't wanna hurt you!"

Tidus shook his head, spinning his pistols around in his hands. "I'm not sure it is Rikku. I mean, look at that energy..."

Baralai nodded, "I don't think we have a choice, Wakka. If that's Rikku, she's not herself."

Rikku leapt at Tidus, pouncing on him and slamming him to the floor. He was quick to retaliate, however, firing at her and sending her flying backwards. Wakka pulled him up off the floor, and Baralai stood between the enraged Beserker and them.

"Ghiki... you're up," he nodded, and the monkey sprang down from his arm. It ran over to the growling girl, jumping up at her and scratching at her eyes. Hopping up to Baralai again, he stroked its head. "Good monkey."

Rikku couldn't see properly after the Ghiki Gouge, so she was swinging around wildly trying to hit someone. She wasn't very successful however, and it wasn't until Wakka had rushed her into a wall that she realized she was at a real disadvantage. She pulled herself from the smashed stone and ran at the redhead, using Eject to kick him back, sending him soaring across the room to the other side, leaving him slumped over, dropping his weapon.

Tidus stepped in again while Baralai tried to wake Gippal up, doing his best to dodge her swipes and kicks while he continued his assault, firing round after round at his former travelling companion. Standing up next to her, he fired an energy shot right into her face, and she fell backwards to the floor.

Pyreflies began to gather around her, and the now-conscious Gippal panicked, running towards her before Wakka pulled him back. "No! Stay back."

The pyreflies swarmed around her until she faded away, a small glassy orb left behind where she lay. Tidus picked it up, examining it.

"It's a dressphere," smiled Baralai, "I don't think that was Rikku at all. I think we just fought the energy within that dressphere, manifested as Rikku because she used it for such a long time."

"A dressphere can do that?" Tidus asked as Wakka took the sphere from him, slotting it into his own garment grid.

Baralai nodded, "Yes... well, I believe so. What I learned from the events of six months ago was that Shuyin was drawn to Yuna because of the energies inside her Songstress dressphere."

"Oh, yeah!" Gippal nodded, rubbing the back of his head, "I remember now. He thought she was his lover, Lenne, because that sphere was created from her memories, right?"

The group took a moment to collect themselves before Gippal tapped his headset to turn it on. "Buddy, you there? Good. We got a sphere, but no girls down here. Ready to pick us up?"

* * *

><p>Somewhere in a dark passage, the sound of water could be heard dripping as the three girls sat, resting for a moment in between battles. Rikku suddenly gasped, a sharp pain running through her head.<p>

"Rikku!" Yuna called, gripping her cousin by the shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Rikku nodded, hands on her head. "I got this insane pain in my head... it's gone now though. I'm fine, promise!"

Paine looked over from the spot where she stood. "Are you sure? We're not out of the woods yet. If something's wrong, you need to tell us now."

Rikku stood up, shaking it off. "I'm fine, I promise."

Looking down to her Garment Grid, however, the blonde noticed that one of her spheres was missing. She didn't make a fuss of it however, as she was sure she must have left it on the Airship. Something like that... she hoped.

* * *

><p><em>A little sectioned off, it seems, I know. I wrote this in lots of small parts. I hope you enjoy it, and expect Chapter 4 soon! More will be revealed!<em>

_~Soul_


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